BLERDgirl

Initially I did not notice. Around month 4 I noticed that my edges were getting really thin. I was already taking Biotin because I am menopausal. I also have a small area of scarring alopecia from where I used to wear an afro puff hair piece. I was thinking of trying collagen, but a lot of it is made from seaweed and I have a sever seafood allergy. I am seeing the dermatologist for the alopecia so I am going to discuss collagen with her at my next appointment. Fortunately so far I can style are the thinning. It appears to have stopped falling out but it's growing back really slowly.

10 months post op and still a long way to go. Left side taken 7/26/14, Right side 7/27/15

Depends on the person. My BMI was really high. I think it was 69. So far I am pleased with my weight loss even though I knew choosing the sleeve meant a longer weight loss journey and that I would have to fight for continued weight loss after year 2. I just didn't feel that bypass was a good fit for me. As for the surgery itself, that couldn't have been any easier. I walked in recovery, and experienced none of the common issues like gas, constipation or nausea.

Walking for 2 miles is good for 10 days post op. It's perfectly normal to feel tired afterwards. I think I needed a daily nap for at least the 1 month post op. As your body heals you will regain your strength. Right now just listen to your body and nap when needed.

I saw the psychologist affiliated with my program. My impression was that she basically wanted to know about my relationship with food and my exceptions with what surgery would do. I had a 5 page form that I had been given at my first appointment and turned in. It asked about family history, and supports.I wasn't worried going in and just spoke honestly about what I had tried in the past, and what I was doing to ensure that I could be successful. We chatted for about and hour and that was it. I wasn't nervous going into the conversation or afterwards. It was a pleasant experience for me.

My Protein is regularly between 85 - 100 and occasionally higher. I supplement at least one meal a day with unflavored protein powder. I make a Protein shake before my AM workout, and on occasion I will drink anywhere from a half to a whole bottle of Isopure protein ice tea throughout the day. Otherwise my protein come from plant based foods, eggs and cheese. One of my favorite things to eat is TVP. Textured vegetable protein. I buy Bob's Red Mill brand. A quarter cup dry will yield half a cup when reconstituted. 80calories 7carbs, 0fat, 12gms protein, 2gms sodium, 3gms sugar. I add it to Soups or sometime throw it into the food processor with veggies and make my own veggie burgers. It give a similar mouth feel of that meaty texture and may make it easier for those transitioning to a vegetarian diet.

For the longest time it never occurred to me that people actually ate baby food. I just put everything in the nutra bullet.

I make the ricotta as if I was making stuff shells. Drain the ricotta, bear one while egg per container. Add my seasonings, typically garlic powder. Oregano. Salt, pepper. Pour into single serving ramekins. Topped with shredded cheese and tomato sauce & bake at 365 until bubbly. Usually 20 - 30 minutes. I also sometime add thaw & drained frozen chopped spinach to the mix.

I buy my nut butters from Whole Foods. It's their 365 brand. The only ingredients are nuts. Oil & maybe salt. I am partial to raw almond butter, but occasionally but PB. It's a healthy fat & I rarely use more than a tbsp at a time so I don't worry about the calories. I prefer to eat foods that are as natural as possible.

I would recommend splurging and going to someplace like The Walking Company and getting fitted for a good pair of shoes. You want someplace that measure you gait and examines your feet and then makes recommendations. If the issue persist get it checked by a doctor.

Sounds like you're doing everything right. Other than bumping calories up maybe another 100 I wouldn't make any changes until after the endo visit. It could just be your body being stubborn.

Hide the scale. Right now it's too much of a trigger for you. Focus on eating well, getting in your fluids and exercising. Try to not weigh yourself for a month. If that's too long, then try for 2 weeks. Look for NSV and focus on living a healthier lifestyle. You can do this!

I apologize if my post came across as negative towards your program. However they are splitting hairs. If you are supplementing with powdered milk and powdered eggs whites, you are still supplementing. I understand their reasoning. We should all be learning to eat in a healthier manner and not rely on shakes for our Protein.

A yogurt with too much sugar. 9 carbs once you subtract the fiber, and 15 grams of Protein. Not really worth it, unless you are adding protein powder to balance out the carb content. This is deceptive advertising. According to the website it's actually "zero added sugar " and zero artificial sweetener. It uses stevia instead. The container does have 7gms of sugar. That likely comes from the milk that they use to make the product. Personally I don't find the nutritional totals to be bad. I eat yogurt almost daily. However I can 18gms of protein for half the calories & carbs with none of the artificial fillers and additives in a comparable container of FAGE 0%.

If you are getting plenty of fluids and protein, call your doctor and have you blood levels check. You may have a nutrient deficiency.

Adding to the chorus. My doctor was more concerned with waiting after eating to drink than before. Staying hydrated is important. I always keep a RTD shake or protein drink/water on hand in case I need to grab and go. The protein teas have been especially helpful in the summer heat. I sometimes fill my water bottle with ice and then pout the protein tea over that. This way I stay hydrated and still get my protein in.

I was taking aquafit classes 4 days a week and walking at least 30 minutes a day pre surgery. I am 51 with 2 arthritic knees and I started at a pretty high BMI. The aquafit classes were the only thing keeping me mobile. I also think they may have helped with how easy my surgery was. I resumed aquafit on week 3 post-op. Once the weight started coming off it was easy to increase to 5 - 6 days week. That said, everyone is different. If you have bad knees I strongly encourage Water exercise of some sort. The buoyancy of the water helps tremendously. However you go at your own pace. Just make it your goal to some sort of activity at least 30 minutes a day.

The difference between wine and soda is the carbonation. The gas that the bubbles in soda cause may be uncomfortable even painful on your sleeve. Also when you tummy is full of gas, you have no room for food. The additives may help change the Water. You NEED water to live. If you are getting headaches, you aren't drinking enough. Figure out a way to get in your water. If you must have something fizzy, an all natural alternative is kombucha tea. It is naturally fizzy so it may still cause gas in your tummy, but it not a bottle of chemicals like soda. I'm 10mths and I haven't had kombucha since my pre-op days. However I don't drinks sodas and drinking water isn't an issue for me. I used to buy my kombucha from Whole Foods.

I think that's a bit unrealistic. You need Protein shakes at least for the first 2 -3 mths. After that you may be able to get most of your protein from foods. Have they given you a sample food plan to hit your protein goals without supplementing? I would talk to them again and come up with a specific plan of action.

I buy from a variety of places, but I dry everything in the bathroom. I bought one of those dryer racks and I come home hang everything up and liberally spray with a generic antibacterial spray. My swimsuit I soak in cold Water and then give the same treatment. I prefer to purchase pieces that are sweat wicking, but I have a few pairs that are simply compression yoga pants.

Attended seminar end of May. First consult in June. Took off July for family events. Approved in August, surgery in September. My program requires 3 monthly meetings with the team, the usual preop testing, 1 2 hour nutrition class, and a psych eval.

Carbs are not the enemy. Processed carbs are. In fact good carbs can fuel your workouts. The bad carbs are highly processed and refined things. Typically the so called white carbs: breads, pastas, etc... Carbs from fruit, veg, legumes are a good thing. My carbs are almost always high and I have been losing steadily.I am vegetarian and most of my Protein is from plant based sources. Also fruit and veg will help you poop. Good bowel movements also aid in weight loss. There is no rush to lose. In fact a slower weight loss gives your skin a bit more time to recover and may decrease the amount of sagging skin you end up with. Your calories might be a bit high. I just started eating 800 -1000 at 10mths out. Prior to that I kept them n the 850 range. I am 51 and post menopausal.

The Protein level is more important than the calories. You want to get as well rounded a eating plan as possible, but the emphasis needs to be on meeting those protein goals. from day 1 - 6 weeks I averaged 400 - 600 calories and 60 -70gms of protein. from 6 weeks to 9mths I averages 600 - 850 calories and 70 -85gms of protein. Currently I aim for 800 - 1000 calories and 85 -100gms of protein daily. I typically exercise 5 - 6 days a week 1 -2 hours at a time.

The first thing you should have said was "the nutritionist said....." It's a bit disconcerting that the team is not on the same page. Call them out on it. Also check out other brands of protein. Syntrax and GENEPRO are popular and can be mixed with Water. I also used Prosource Nocarb while in the hospital and for the first month post-op. It's a bit viscous, but mixes well with water and herbal teas. That sounds like full liquids unless you are doing protein drink/waters. By definition clear liquids are just that, liquids you can see through. Full liquids is anything in liquid form with a leaning towards a thinner consistency.